Robert Murray:  

Workplace after High School: After AHS I spent a year at Huntington School for Boys (in Boston) [now part of Chapel Hill - Chauncy Hall] to sharpen my educational skills and learning in preparation for college (or so my father insisted). I must admit that after AHS I wasn't really ready for college and did need another year to "mature." The next year I was admitted to and attended Tufts University (B.A. - Class of 1970). After graduating from Tufts, I was suddenly drafted into the US Army in October, 1970 since my draft number had come up. Not wanting to serve "on the ground" in Viet Nam, that same day I ran down to the US Navy Recruiter's Office in Medford Square and enlisted for 4 years as a regular sailor (the Recruiter back-dated my enlistment papers by 2 or 3 days), with an active duty reporting date of April 19, 1971 [keep in mind the military didn't really need English and Math majors at that time -- just warm bodies to fill the trenches]. On Halloween, Oct. 1970, I married my first wife, also from AHS Class of '65. For the next 6 months, we lived at her parents' summer home in Plymouth and did substitute teaching at various schools. On April 19, 1971, I "shipped out" from the Charlestown Navy Yard and headed to boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois. After boot camp and additional training in San Diego, I spent 42 months at Subic Bay in the Philippines and many other parts of SE Asia (1971-1975) during the Vietnam mess. During that time I coached Little League Baseball (on Base), taught Shakespeare courses in the Base junior college program, did other civic activities on the Base and in the local community and traveled a lot. Although I was in the US Navy, I never spent even one day on a ship (except for lunch one day when a friend's ship pulled into port). I ended up being a ground-troop after all -- most time in the Philippines. I tried my best to make the most of a bad situation during all this time. I also served as liaison between the enlisted men and the officers, advising the officers of the enlisted men's dispositions and reactions to political and military events -- and most especially when Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon announced his resignation as our President. One year, I was chosen as a personal body guard to President Ferdinand Marcos of the Phillipines for a week's event celebrating Veteran's Day. Due to that assignment, I was also invited to be a special guest of Imelda Marcos (you know, the lady with the 1,000+ pairs of shoes and later President of the Philippines) at the opening of the Philippines' Center for the Fine Arts. At one point, I was named "Sailor of the Year" for the US Navy -...Expand for more